Diffusion Plan

"Wait, I can't do something like this!" Taylor said, a bit flustered.

"Of course you can. You're the only one who can." Abigail shot back immediately, as if she'd already thought it through.

"Those bitches at school are all watching, and I'm not close to him. Only you can break the ice for us. He wants to be a singer—you can find an excuse to ask him out, perform together, co-write songs, or even discuss shooting a music video. In short, if you reach out, he'll definitely come. And as your good friend, it's only natural for me to be there too. Do it once, twice, three times—opportunity will come!" Abigail laid out her plan.

"But... I... is this really okay?" Taylor felt overwhelmed and could only counter.

"What's not okay about it?"

"You don't even know him, do you? He's a model. You know how messy that industry is. What if he has bad character? You don't know him at all!" In her mind, Ryan was clearly not a reliable person.

"Are you saying he'll change his mind and dump me after a few days?" Abigail fell into thought.

"Exactly! That's what I'm trying to say." Taylor nodded vigorously.

"Do you really think I'm crazy enough to want to marry someone I've only met twice?" Abigail looked incredulous. "Like in 'Fifteen,' how long can a relationship at this stage last? I've thought it through—since it's bound to end in tragedy anyway, why not pick someone more handsome?"

"Uh..." Taylor was completely defeated by her friend's logic, left speechless.

"Besides, with you around, he wouldn't dare go too far. Maybe he'd even behave better. And worst case, maybe he's actually a good guy." Abigail tried.

"I'd be hurting you by doing this." Taylor shook her head after a moment's thought.

"I know you mean well, but I noticed him the moment I saw him in the lounge that day! When he showed up in class today, I felt like it was God's arrangement. I can get to know him first. If he really has issues, I'll just pretend none of this ever happened!" Abigail looked at Taylor with pleading eyes.

"You're the best." Without waiting for Taylor's reply, Abigail pursed her lips and leaned in for a hug.

Taylor pushed her away, her heart sinking, feeling the situation grow more chaotic by the second.

"Didn't the studio staff say last time they'd help spread his music on social media? Why don't we take this chance to ask him out? He definitely won't refuse." Abigail pressed on.

Did I ever agree to that? Taylor thought to herself.

"Really, no can do, dear. Anyone else, but not him. Absolutely not." Taylor finally refused.

Abigail quickly pulled back and sneered. "I knew it. You say you're not interested in him, but I think... something's already happened between you two, hasn't it?"

She put on a look of sudden realization.

"No! Nothing has happened!" Taylor denied vehemently.

While the two girls were deep in discussion, Ryan was also called over by the head coach.

"In recent years, several of our key players have secured full-ride football scholarships to the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University. Both are members of the Southeastern Conference. As long as you maintain a GPA above 3.0, you can get the same treatment." The coach brought up Ryan's future right away, his intent clear.

The coach mentioned that the Southeastern Conference was one of the five major conferences in the NCAA. Playing here meant one foot in the NFL, and the University of Tennessee had produced top quarterbacks like Peyton Manning. Vanderbilt, though often at the bottom of the SEC, was known as the "Harvard of the South"—even if many schools claimed that title, it was still ranked in the top thirty nationally.

According to the coach, if Ryan stuck with football here, a bright future awaited him.

But Ryan wasn't excited. He found himself at a crossroads. He didn't consider himself a genius, and staying competitive meant relentless training, which would inevitably clash with his music career. He could only choose one.

After careful thought, Ryan said, "I probably won't be able to stay on the team long-term. I'm better off as a backup."

He expected the coach to be displeased, but instead, the coach nodded immediately. "I'm glad you think that way! I was worried you wouldn't accept a backup role."

Clearly, that had been the coach's plan all along.

Ryan suddenly understood. As a tight end, being a starter made him a target, while being a backup allowed him to make an impact at critical moments.

"My offer still stands! But the condition is that you deliver when it counts. The rest of the time, you don't even need to show up at the field." The coach gave Ryan extremely flexible training requirements.

Now he could report back to Trey. Others might not get it, but Trey would be thrilled to hear this.

Afterward, Ryan and some new teammates carried equipment back to the locker room. Up ahead, someone whistled. "The big star's here!"

"Haven't seen you in a while. You're looking prettier every day."

"What, you want a song written about you too?"

"First album was about four ex-boyfriends. Next one should at least double that, right?" someone joked.

A few players snickered.

Ryan looked up and saw Abigail and Taylor walking toward him arm in arm. They'd apparently reached an agreement.

From this angle, Abigail had a bit more going on. Ryan noted to himself.

At the fast-food joint, Ryan and the two girls talked football, school life, then music and social media accounts.

"Including Myspace, YouTube, and Facebook combined, my follower count is over three million. Myspace has the most." Taylor frowned slightly as she mentioned her popularity, clearly not eager to chat much with Ryan.

But to dispel any "suspicion" between her and Ryan, she had no choice.

"Do you use your social accounts regularly?" Ryan asked.

"Of course. I reply to fans' comments and post life photos. It's all part of the promotion, but it has to be under PR supervision. Paula Erickson, formerly head of A&R at RCA, handles my public image." Taylor explained.

"And how does she feel about your first album featuring four ex-boyfriends? Or did she just go along with it?" Ryan suddenly asked.

The question was sharp. Taylor's brow furrowed. "First, not all four men in the album were my boyfriends. Second, she only started working with me after it was released. Third, she thinks we shouldn't address this head-on—it would put me on the defensive. Keeping things as they are generates extra buzz!"

She shot Ryan another glare. "This is how I create. And judging by the results, it's sold more albums. So not only do I not need to change, I need to stick with it even more!"

The message was clear: Don't tell me how to do my job.

With that topic exhausted, they circled back to social media promotion—what mattered most to Ryan. With Abigail's mediation, they agreed that Abigail would first share Ryan's music as a friend, then Taylor would reshare it. That way, Taylor kept a natural distance from Ryan, Ryan got his exposure, and everyone was satisfied.

As they discussed the details, Ryan noticed Abigail beside Taylor seemed overly eager. Recalling her behavior earlier that day, he had a hunch about the truth.

What surprised him was that Taylor was willing to play wingman. Was she that desperate to be a matchmaker?

Meanwhile, Abigail mustered her courage and invited Ryan. "Oh, by the way, spring break is the week after next. Want to go surfing in Florida? Miami will have the UMF Music Festival too. You could even chat with the DJs on-site!"